Parents
by Chaotica
Summary: A car crash leaves little Todd Casil in the care of a paranoid woman and a homicidal maniac.
1. part 1

A/N: Inspired by 'A Happy Birthday' by RekiChan. I always give props where props are due.  
Disclaimer: I don't own this or anything related. So ha! You damn sue-happy vultures!  
  
Parents  
  
One eye came open at the sound of rapid pounding on the door. Devi sat up finding herself on the couch in front of a canvas covered in varying shades of blue that made up a faceless figure. "What? Hmm?" She blinked, the pounding continued.  
She got up and stumbled to the door. What time was it? "Tenna! I swear I'm going to tie you up with duct tape and hang you up side down in my closet till next week if you don't stop that!" The banging stopped.  
She unlocked the door and opened it a crack to find a crouching figure in black. His head turned up to greet her.  
She almost slammed the door but his hand reached out and stopped it. "Help." He said in a hoarse voice. He let go of the door to help balance something in his arms. It was covered in blood.  
"Johnny, oh my god, are you bleeding?" She said trying to grasp onto a shred of a clue as to what was going on.  
"No. Help." He said showing her the child he held. A boy his face was spattered in blood.  
"What did you do?" Devi nearly screamed. She didn't know if Johnny killed kids, probably when he was younger, did he kill when he was younger?  
"Not me, car." He seemed to be out of it and rocked the unconscious boy a little.  
"Quick, get him in here, I'll call 911." She turned into the apartment.  
"No!" He cried frantically. "They'll take him away!"  
"He could be dying!" She countered reaching for the phone.  
"He's not, I swear, I checked him. Not internal bleeding, no broken bones, he had on a seat belt. Don't call them damn it!" He sounded afraid. He was afraid of loosing the kid? Why?  
"Alright, alright!" She stopped reaching for the phone. She figured somewhere in her dazed head that Johnny knew more about whether or not if the kid was dying than she did. "What about his parents?"  
"Dead." He said simply. "Plowed into concrete breaker. Mother decapitated, father broken all over." He sat on the floor beside her couch and held the boy gently. "Found him alive in the back. Saw it happen, I watch him, make sure he's safe. Nice kid."  
He seemed to have trouble tracking what he was saying. Probably just upset, and with his frazzled mind that was hardly the state you wanted him in.  
"What do you want me to do?" She asked sitting on the couch next to him.  
"Take care of him."  
"Nny, I can't." She said falling into an old pattern of calling him by his nickname. She had known him for a while before their first date after all.  
"I only trust him to you." He looked up. "No one else."  
"I'm not equipped to take care of a kid." She said trying to get him to understand.  
"Then just for awhile. I can't have him right now. I'll take him back later."  
She didn't know if Johnny taking care of the kid was the best idea. But she agreed. "Okay, for awhile. We'll put him in my bed for now." She lead Johnny to her room.   
He laid the boy down and wrapped him in the blankets. "Thanks Devi." He said quietly then practically faded out of her apartment. He had a habit of doing that.   
She glanced down at the bed seeing the kid sleeping and sighed. The things she got herself into.  
***  
Todd shifted in his bed reaching for Shmee. But his hand came up empty. He opened his eyes finding his most terrifying prospect come true. He was some place he didn't recognize!  
He sat up pulling blankets up around him. His clothes were covered in something dry and itchy. He didn't have the faintest idea as to what it was or even where he was.  
Maybe his parents were here. He ventured a call. "Mommy? Daddy?" Nothing happened and then the door opened. A woman poked her head in, he couldn't see her face but she was defiantly not his mother.  
"So you're awake." She came into the room. "Shield your eyes."   
He lifted his hand to his eyes as she turned on the overhead light. He let his eyes adjust and looked up at her.  
She was pale with a mole on her cheek and violet hair done up in two pigtails that looked anything but childish.  
"I thought you might like to have this." She handed him a toy bear she had been holding. "He had staples in him, I fixed him up better."  
"Shmee!" He squealed hugging the bear tightly. "I wondered where you went!"   
She didn't tell the kid that Johnny had dropped off a garbage bag filled with his stuff including the bear.  
"I'll be right back." She left the room then came back holding a change of clothes. "Can you change yourself?" She asked.  
He nodded then looked down at his clothes. They were blotched with dark red. He picked at the stains he recognized as blood.  
"Hey." She said putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. Let's get out of these and into these." She said motioning to the clean clothes.  
Todd nodded again and changed his clothes oddly happy that the woman turned her back to let him.  
"I'm done." He said pulling nervously at the hem of the clean striped shirt he wore. She collected his old clothes and took them away. She came back again smiling at him.  
"Are you hungry? You've been asleep for a long time. I have some soup in the kitchen. It's condensed vegetable beef, but it's good."   
"I am a little hungry." He said hopping off the bed and holding Shmee tightly. He let her lead him to her kitchen where she sat him down and gave him a bowl of soup. He started to eat then looked around quizzically.   
"How did I get here?"  
"A friend brought you." She answered.  
"Where's my mommy and daddy?"  
She had been about to sit down and did so nervously. "Do you remember what happened before you woke up?" She asked.  
He blinked. "I remember, being in the car. Daddy was yelling at me and mommy. Then a bunch of lights. And a crunching, then, then, I don't remember." He started to eat again, but slowly and deliberately, like he was forcing himself. "They're dead aren't they." He said dully, more of a statement than a question.  
She nodded slowly. "Yes they are." She expected the boy to break out in tears. Instead he stared at her incredulously as if she had just told him something and was afraid it was some kind of joke.  
"Really?" She raised an eyebrow at the edge of hope in his voice.  
She nodded. "Really."  
He hid a smile and went back to eating. But it was less forced now, he was enjoying it.  
Devi couldn't believe it. Had the kids parents been THAT horrible?  
"What's your name kid? I'm Devi."  
"Todd Casil." He said. "People call me Squeegee. The neighbor man calls me Squee."  
"Neighbor man?"  
He nodded vigorously swallowing some soup. "Johnny. He's my neighbor. I think he likes me but he's kind of scary."  
"He's that way sometimes."  
"You know him?" Todd asked finishing off his soup.  
"Yeah I know him." She leaned back in her chair. "He brought you here"  
Todd pushed his bowl away quietly contemplating this and squealed in fright when Devi shot out of her chair.   
"Holy nuggets! Work!" She had forced herself not to curse in front of the kid. She glanced at him. "But I can't take you, and I can't leave you alone. Tennas' off to who knows where and can't baby sit." She had called her friend shortly after Nny had left getting an answering machine that had both Tenna and her doll Spooky on it.  
"I can stay here. I'm real quiet."  
"You're not supposed to leave kids as young as you alone." She said pacing.   
"My parents did."  
She stopped pacing. The kid was obviously self-reliant. "Okay Todd. You can stay by yourself if you want. But don't let anyone in. Lock those doors when I leave I'll knock three times then twice to let you know it's me." She rushed around the small apartment and gathered her keys and her pocket book. "The TV remote is on the coffee table. I really have to go or I'm in so much trouble!" She stopped just before she closed the door. "I'll be back Todd, I promise."  
Todd had gotten out of his chair and waved 'bye' to her from the living room. He walked over to the door and locked the bolt and the chain. He then turned and leaned against the door feeling slightly amazed.  
She had called him Todd.  
***  
Devi pulled one of her pigtails out as she trudged back to her apartment. What a day. She had gotten her job back at 'Dragon Books' and it hadn't changed from the last time she worked there. Only now she didn't have a tall skinny guy with dark eye to keep her mind from imploding in rage.  
She stopped before her door, knocked three times, then twice more. There was a rattling behind the door and it came open.  
Todd's little eyes widened and his grip on Shmee loosened. "Hi Devi!" He opened the door wider for her and closed it when she was in.  
Devi smiled and looked up and froze. Her apartment was CLEAN. She gaped at the room a moment.  
"You like it?" Todd asked nervously. "I do cleaning at my house. I thought you might like it."  
Devi shook herself out of it. "Wow."  
"I didn't clean the room with all the paint in it. I didn't know what you were doing in there so I left it." He edged nervously away from her.  
"This is. It's." She bent down and hugged him. "Thanks."  
When she let go he looked dazed. He was never hugged.  
That night Todd sat in the 'other room' that Devi had in her apartment. She had fixed it up with a bed for him and a place for his clothes and the toys Johnny had brought.  
She had read him a story and tucked him in bed. It was the best time he'd had being put to sleep ever.  
But now he was sitting up staring into the room. Wondering if this was all a dream.  
Something tapped on the window. He had been so wrapped in his own thoughts he hadn't noticed Johnny our on the ledge at the window. He scurried over and opened it. Warm air filtered in because it was still summer.  
"Hey Squee." He whispered. "How are you?"  
"Fine." Todd said quietly.  
"You like it with her?" Johnny asked.  
"She's nice."  
"Yeah she is." Nny said leaning his head on his arms.  
"Johnny?"  
"Hmm?"  
"What will happen to me now? My parents are gone."  
Johnny lifted his head again. "Hopefully Devi will be able to take care of you, but if she can't I will." He reached out and mussed Todds' hair. "I promise you don't have to go with mean strangers."  
"That sounds nice."  
Nny pushed off from the windowsill. "You should go to bed. It's late."  
"Okay." Todd curled back up in his new bed. Johnny reached in through the window and pulled the covers over him.  
"Night Squee." He left the window drop.   
Todd smiled sleepily. "Night daddy." He said absently. 


	2. part 2

A/N: I'm quite aware the element of OOCness in the first chapter and probably chapters to come. I'll try not to suck too bad...promise!  
  
Parents  
  
Devi smiled as she watched Todd carry the bag of groceries. She was used to being alone and hadn't had much food. So she took the kid out shopping for some extra.   
She was glad the kid didn't mind avoiding the mad rush of a big super market and just going to the side-store down the street.  
"Almost there." She said shifting the bags she held to one hand so she could get her keys.  
SQUEAK!  
She froze. "Oh, fuck." She winced.  
"Hi Devi!" Tenna called bounding towards her friend. "Hey, who's the shorty?"  
Todd sidestepped closer to Devi peering at Tenna carefully.  
"Tenna, this is Todd. Todd this is my friend Tenna. He's staying with me for a while."  
"Oh, what a cute teddy bear!" Tenna squealed poking Shmee who Todd had under one arm. She held out Spooky towards Todd and squeaked him. "This is Spooky! Who's that?"  
"Shmee." Todd said quietly.  
"Hmm? What's that Spooky?" Tenna held Spooky to her ear. "Uh huh, I see, really?"  
Todd had horrible flashbacks to the night he met Nny.  
Tenna went oddly silent and looked down at Todd. "What's a Trauma Sponge?"  
Devi interrupted them when she finally got her door unlocked. "C'mon Todd, we need to get this stuff put away."  
Todd followed her and Tenna bounced in after.  
"Oh holy Cheese Tonsils! It's clean in here!" She crowed admiring the now visible floor. "Hey! You have carpet!"  
"Ha, ha, very funny. Todd cleaned for me."  
"Oooh, can I borrow him?"  
"No Tenna, you can't 'borrow' him." Devi said opening a package of cookies and handing a couple down to Todd and tossing a few at Tenna.  
Tenna ducked the pelting of cookies catching one and munched on it. "Mmm, cookie." She watched Todd disappear into his room. "So what's the story with the kid?" She asked absently squeaking Spooky.  
Devi pulled her farther into the kitchen. "His parents died in a crash. Johnny dropped him off here." She glanced in the direction Todd had gone.  
"Johnny? As in the infamous 'Nny'?"  
"Yes."  
Devi was quite surprised that Tenna could mimic Spooky like that.  
"Tenna I have no clue how to take care of a kid!" Devi said as loudly as she dared.  
Tenn seemed to be lost in thought a moment. Then her eyes widened in hopeful glee. "Are you going to keep him?" She quite simply shook in joy at the prospect. "You're going to be the best mommy!"  
Devi clamped a hand down on Tenna to at least keep her in place. "I don't know if I CAN keep him!" She let Tenna go seeing her calm down visibly. "But it would be nice. He's a great kid, and I'd hate to see him in a foster home." Her eyes drifted back to Todd's door.  
In that room Todd sat on his bed talking with Shmee.  
'That Spooky is one to avoid Todd.'  
"Why?" He asked.  
'He's an amplifier. Sucks one emotion out of the person and pumps up another. Looks like he feeds off her depression and fills her with sickening amounts of happiness.' Shmee said in that 'inside' voice of his.  
"Why would that be bad?" That sounded like a good idea to him.  
'It only works that way for some people, usually it sucks the joy out and amplifies the sadness. I don't want you to get to close to him.'  
"If you think it's a good idea Shmee. I'll be careful." He hugged the old bear.  
'And that reminds me. There's another one. Just like the ones I told you that 'you know who' has.'  
Todd froze. He looked out the door. He could hear Devi and Tenna talking but couldn't make out the words.  
'She's dangerous if she listens to the creature.'  
"But she wouldn't hurt me. She likes me."  
'Just like your parents did?'  
"The loved me too, somewhere, deep inside. Devi doesn't have to like me or take care of me and she does. Doesn't that count?"  
There was a silence from Shmee. 'I suppose. But be careful Todd. And remember, I only say these things because.'  
"I know, you're only looking out for me."  
Todd hopped off his bed and made enough noise to alert Devi that he was coming out of his room. He didn't want to accidentally hear what she and Tenna were talking about, that was private.   
The went into the main room to turn on the TV when an envelope slid in under the door. He inched closer to investigate, clutching Shmee close.  
On the front of the envelope the word 'Devi' was scrawled in a shaky handwriting.  
"Hey Devi?" He asked cautiously.  
"Yeah?" Devi called from the kitchen.   
"There's a letter."  
Devi came into the room wit him, Tenna hopped around to the side like she was dancing with Spooky.   
He handed the envelope up to her. She opened it and her eyes went wide. She shut it and blinked a lot then opened it again.  
"What is it?" Tenna asked noticing the reaction in her friend.  
"Money!" She pulled a ragged piece of paper out of the envelope.   
On it was more of the same shaky writing.  
It read:   
Devi,   
Here's something to help with Squee. Don't ask where I got it, but it's just been lying around and I thought you might get more use out of it than I would.  
Nny  
"Oh how cute!" Tenna cried. "Child support!"  
***  
Devi reached out to open the door to Todds' new room and stopped. There were voices within.  
"Did she get what I put under the door?" A frighteningly familiar voice asked.  
"Uh huh." Todd replied.   
Devi was torn between letting the two talk and barging in to try and scare Johnny away from the boy. Ultimately she remained where she was listening attentively.  
"Hey Johnny?"  
"Yeah Squee?"  
"Um, do you think, that maybe, that I could pretend, that Devi. That she's my mom?" Todd asked tentatively.  
"I don't see why not."  
"Then, can I pretend, also, that you're my dad?" The question seemed to have been forced out of the boy.  
There was a long pause.  
"Of course you can."  
Devi bit her lip. This was utterly heart wrenching. She held her breath and grabbed hold of the doorknob. "Todd?" There was the sound of the wind blowing and she found the boy leaning on the empty window, his teddy bear propped up on the sill. "W-who were you talking to?" She tried to sound normal.  
"Shmee." Todd said looking a bit guilty. But she overlooked it.  
"Okay, you can talk to Shmee but you're getting in bed while you're at it. Tenna agreed to watch you while I'm at work tomorrow and you'll need your energy."  
"Okay." He crawled under the covers as she sat on the bed.  
She reached over the bed and shut the window. "Alright then. You sleep tight."  
'And don't let the flesh eating babies bite' flittered through his head for a moment.   
She smiled down at him. "Night Todd." She flicked off his light, and left his door cracked to allow light in.  
He curled up in his blankets with Shmee and smiled to himself. 


	3. part 3

Parents  
  
Tenna sat on the couch doing her best to hold down the shivering child. She hoped really hard that Devi wouldn't be mad. It wasn't her fault that the kid was so afraid of everything.  
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and since Tenna never locked said door it came open and Devi walked in. "Hello?"  
"Hi Devi!" Tenna squealed waving. When she did her grip on the nervous little Squee was loosened and the boy bolted to Devi nearly knocking her over, squishing Shmee between them.  
"What the hell happened to you?" Devi asked knowing full well that Tenna hadn't been the source of Todd's discomfort, she was too cheery to hurt people.  
"Well." Tenna started as she got up. "First the toaster tried to strangle him with it's cord, then pigeons from outside turned out to be actual rats with wings that tried to carry him away and then the thing from the toilet tried to eat him." She paused. "Then we had lunch and the oven attempted revenge for his lost friend the toaster." She squeaked Spooky. "He had a rough day."  
Devi only stared at Tenna for a moment. "Okay..." She looked down at Todd. "Ready to go back to my place now?"  
Todd nodded furiously.  
"Okay then. Thank Tenna." She waved at her friend, who she paid for baby-sitting in croutons by the way.  
"Bye Squeegee!" Tenna squealed waving enthusiastically to him.  
Todd waved back slowly with one hand and clung to Devi with the other.  
She unlocked her door and opened it. "So what do you want for dinner tonight?" She asked as they went in. "Ramen noodles or canned-Johnny!" She instinctively pulled Todd behind her at the sight of Johnny standing in her living room.  
"You don't have to hide him from me Devi." He said, he sounded depressed. She'd seen him this way before, a long time ago, before. He would come into the book store looking as though he'd found out his dog had died along with the rest of his family. Back then she could usually get him to at least leave with a half-smile on his face if not more.  
But that was then, this was now.   
"Hi Johnny." Todd squeaked feeling a sort of tension between the two.  
"Hey Squee." Johnny replied. His eyes darted back to Devi. "We need to talk."  
"Todd, go to your room okay?"  
"Okay Devi." He went to his room peeking out the door as he closed it.  
"Nice kid." Johnny said absently.  
"So what do you want to talk about?" Devi almost demanded as she crossed her arms wondering where she had but that bottle of mace.  
"Him." Nny said sitting on the couch. "I can take him back if you still don't think you can take care of him."   
"I can take care of him just fine now." She replied sitting stiffly in a chair.  
"That's." He seemed at a loss for a word to finish with. "Good." He finished after fighting with his vocabulary.   
There was a pause between them.   
"He hears a voice you know." Johnny said. "His bear. I don't know if it's a good one or a bad one."  
"Voices are rarely anything good." She said rather bitterly.  
His eyes snapped to her, she thought he was about to spring at her. "What kind do you hear Devi?" He asked.  
She glared. "We're supposed to be discussing Todd, not my mental problems."  
"I'll bet I know what kind." His voice took on a twistingly knowing edge. "I'll bet it's the kind that burrows into your head, hears everything and knows what you know. What's its' name Devi? How much of you has this one stolen like mine did to me?"  
She shifted in her chair. "Not that it's any of your business but her name is Sickness, and unlike you I rejected her. All that's left is a couple screws in my bag and her crying every once in a while in the back of my head." She crossed her arms and looked away from him.  
He stood up edging to the door, his own arms crossed and appearing very withdrawn. "I must go, out, I'll give you money. Got to leave, monkeys after me." The last part was mumbled so she didn't quite catch it.  
Then as quickly as he appeared he was gone. She hadn't even noticed the door opening. But then this was Nny, he did things like that.  
She got up quietly and shuffled to Todd's room. She half expected to hear him talking to Shmee.  
Voices. Did everyone she know hear voices out of inanimate objects or was it just her imagination?  
But she heard nothing, just silence. She pushed open the door slowly. "Todd?"  
He was sitting on his bed looking down at his teddy bear in his arms. "Am I going away?" He asked not casting his eyes away from the bear.  
She sat on the bed next to him and hugged him with one arm. "No. You're staying right here with me." She felt him jerk in surprise. "Looks like you're stuck with me."  
"You mean it?" He practically burst out with happiness.  
"I mean it. Looks like you exchanged a dysfunctional family for an insane one though." She was of course referring to the fact that his new 'mommy' and 'daddy' both hear voices that told them to do bad things. But he didn't need to know about her little doll Sickness whose eyes were in-fact still in her bag like she'd told Johnny.  
He hugged her tightly. "I'm glad."  
There was a flash. "Aww how cute! Kodak moment!" Tenna cried letting the camera down.  
She bounced on into the room. "Hey since you're going to play mommy Devi can I play sister?" She asked.  
"I don't know if that's such a."  
"Oh please, oh please, oh please!" Tenna interrupted getting on her knees. "I wanna be sister!"  
Devi glanced down at Todd.  
"I never had a sister before." Todd said.  
"I guess it would be okay." Devi said. And why the hell not? Kid already had a derange dad and less than motherly mom. Why not a psychotically happy sister?  
"Oh yay!" Tenna cheered squeaking Spooky madly.  
Yes most definitely an insane family.  
***  
Todd ran with all his might down the street. He was in the suburban area around his home. Ever since the realization dawned on Devi that Todd's house was sitting empty without his parents He, Devi and even Tenna had moved in. Not that Todd really cared. It kept him closer to, well, closer to his dad.  
But right now it yielded little protection from what he was fleeing from.  
He rounded a corner jumping with every ounce of energy he had and grabbed hold of a tree branch from a Cedar tree that was growing by the sidewalk in someone's yard. Quickly as he could he pulled himself up a few of the branches making himself look small. His dark clothes hid him in the evergreen tree and he held his breath.  
A group of six kids went rushing under the branch moments later. They were grunting their frustration at not finding him in striking distance. They ambled past and around another corner. He was about to let himself down when one of the kids started back in his direction.  
After years of fleeing and hiding he had learned many things, one was to hold his breath for long periods of time and calm it as well. Right now he was breathing normally even after the nearly three hundred yard dash he'd been through.  
The kid stopped just under his branch and actually looked like he was trying to sniff him out. He grunted a lot but just wouldn't leave.  
In the back of his mind Shmee whispered a few possible routs of escape all of which involved setting the kid on fire with the lighter in Todd's pocket.  
Todd rolled his eyes, he was getting fed up, and his legs were stinging from the sudden inactivity and cramped position. He angled himself and dropped down right on his would-be attacker. The other kid crumpled under him. He didn't weight much but he had surprised the other boy.  
Once it was confirmed that the other boy was out he got his bearings back and dashed for his house. His sneakers made almost no noise as he ran carefully along the road. He jumped a fence out stepping a mini-Doberman into the other yard where he had to outrun a Mastiff.  
On the other side of that fence he ran across a front lawn streaking across the road narrowly missed being run over by a car and landed feet first in his own lawn.   
He glanced around to see if his pursuers had seen him and followed. But upon seeing no one but a stray cat down the street he made the last sprint to his front step and went into his house.  
"I'm home!" He called out. He tried to dry the sweat from his hair since the running had made him a little too hot.  
"I'm in here Todd!"  
He went into the kitchen finding Devi at the table. She had a book in front of her. He knew what it was, 'Larry Potthead and the Sorcerer's Stoned', a book he'd had for a while now.  
She immediately saw the signs of his run-around. "Trouble at school?" She marked her place and closed the book.  
He reached into the fridge for the juice bottle. "Nah, some lunks thought it would be fun to play 'Smear the Queer' with me as the guy with the ball permanently. Nothing out of the ordinary." He poured himself some juice, which happened to be cherry flavored. "How was work today?"  
"Didn't have work today remember?"  
"Oh yeah." He drank some juice and sat down across from her. "So what *did* you do today?"  
"Shopped." She said simply.  
"For what?" He took another drink.  
"For whatever is in that bag on the counter." She motioned to a paper bag he had overlooked when he had gone for his juice.  
He glanced at her and then got up to investigate. He opened the bag and his jaw dropped. "Wow." He pulled out a shiny black writing pad with 'Todd' in silver on the front.  
"Happy birthday Todd." She got up and hugged him.   
"Thanks." He paused. "Mom."  
"Congratulations, you made it to sixteen without getting a girl pregnant!"  
He reddened a bit.  
"No, really, that's a big accomplishment." She smirked.  
He fingered the silver lettering on his new writing pad. "Is dad going to stop by today?" He looked up at her slowly.  
"I can't really tell." She shrugged. "He's been in there for a week now, you know how he gets."  
"Yeah." Old images from when he was little flashed through his head. "I know."  
"Well, you go and check on him today. Take a can of skettios from under the counter, see if he at least ate the last one you brought him." She said patting him on the shoulder.  
Todd nodded and reached down for the can. He kicked his way across his lawn to the dirt yard next door. He tossed the can and caught it as he went. A lanky teenager he wasn't extremely tall but looked it from a distance. He was thin but thanks to Devi he wasn't as thin as Johnny.  
He knocked on the door to Johnny's house and let it open a crack. "Hello? Johnny? It's Todd, you in here?" He knew Johnny would be here, he only seemed to go out at night, if he went out at all.  
He let himself in and went directly to the kitchen. He found a few cans of skettios opened and empty, including the one he'd brought over a few days ago. At least he was eating.  
He set the new can down and went in search of Nny.  
His search ended in the 'workshop' in the back. It had a closet that actually led down below if you knew where to find the trap door. The rest of the room was filled with all sorts of tools. Files, whetstones, mechanisms. It was where Johnny maintained and invented his monstrous creations.  
Johnny lay on the floor twitching a little. Todd first looked for blood but found none, he the realized Johnny wasn't dying, he was sleeping.  
Todd sat on the floor knowing quite well that Johnny simply did no sleep, and when he did he never woke up fully aware. But Johnny did need his sleep every once in awhile. Why not just let him rest? Maybe get a blanket or something.  
Todd got back up and went to the main room grabbing an old blanket from the couch. He reentered the workshop and noticed something about the way Nny was sleeping. He seemed upset and made a sort of whining noise as he twitched.  
There was only one conclusion. A nightmare.  
"Well crap."  
The sound of his voice seemed to be the trigger. Johnny sat upright so fast he scared Todd witless. The boy scrambled out of the room away from the screaming man.  
Johnny stopped screaming and looked around. Now where was he?  
"Uh, Nny?" A voice! Yes a familiar one at that.  
"What? Who?"  
"Todd."   
"Todd? Oh Todd!" Johnny got up but looked a bit dazed. "Where was I?"  
"Asleep, I didn't mean to wake you." Todd peered back into the room. "I brought you some skettios."  
"Skettios? What day is it?" Johnny asked scratching his head and walking out of the workshop.  
"Tuesday."  
"Month?"  
"April."  
"Date?"  
"The seventeenth." Todd knew the drill. Johnny couldn't trust his memory after he'd been asleep and anything he asked was just for confirmation.  
After these few years Johnny actually didn't look any different. Neither did Devi, or Todd's crazy 'sister' Tenna for that matter.  
Only Todd seemed to be the one to have changed. He still looked a lot like that scared little kid he'd been. But now he was just a taller version that didn't carry around his teddy bear. He still had a piece of fluff from the bear of course, the rest of Shmee was up in his room.  
"Seventeenth? April?" Nny asked as if he was trying to put something together. "Oh! Birthday!" He cried out throwing up his hands. "Now where did I put it?" He started to rummage around. "You had school right?"  
"Yeah." Todd answered ducking a randomly thrown object. He settled at the table in the kitchen leafing through some of Johnny's comics as he waited.  
"Good day?" Nny asked murmuring that the thing had to be around somewhere.  
"Better than most."  
"Ah ha! Found you!" Johnny said triumphantly handing Todd a newspaper wrapped item. "Go ahead, open it." Johnny said grinning like the Cheshire cat and sitting across from the boy.  
Todd ripped off the paper and stared dumfounded at the knife he now held I his hands. It had a black leather sheath and leather wrapped over the steel handle. The blade was thin and finely sharpened when he pulled it out. 'Squee' was inscribed on the blade.  
"Beautiful blade." Nny said absently. "Just beautiful."  
Todd nodded. "Yes it is."  
"You, you go on home now." Nny suddenly said. "Nice seeing you, thanks for the skettios." He got up and gripped the edge of the table tightly.  
"Yeah okay." Todd got up to. "Thanks, dad." There was that same pause from when he was talking with Devi.   
"No problem." His voice sounded strained.  
"I'll save you some cake."  
Johnny only nodded.  
Todd left the house with the three crooked sevens. Johnny had obviously gone through another one of his infamous mood swings. From dazed to insidious in a few seconds.  
As Todd crossed the yard again he wrapped the knife back up.   
All in all, he knew he wouldn't have given up anything about this birthday. Not even to save his life. 


	4. part 4

Parents  
  
Todd smiled. Today was a happy day.   
Johnny had ventured out of his house to come and visit. After a few hours of pretending they were a cohesive family of four Tenna had gotten up and sprinted out of the house screaming about Moose.  
Todd had excused himself shortly after, he had homework to be done.  
He climbed the stairs to his room opening the door but not entering just yet. He still had a vast number of horrors out to traumatize him. Thank the powers that be fore desensitization.   
Finding nothing but his empty room and teddy bear Shmee smiling from his bed he went in. He shut the door quietly behind him.  
He sat down at his desk and pulled out one of his schoolbooks. He didn't really have homework, nothing that couldn't wait anyway. He had left them alone on purpose. It was his hope that they might, just maybe, actually get together.   
It was a long shot but he'd seen stranger things happen.  
He tapped his pencil on his desk and idly wondered where Tenna had gone. Spooky had driven her to a teenybopper like state of insanity. With one redeeming factor, she didn't obsess about boy bands or pink things. Instead she would go into squealy ranting fits about an boy she saw chasing an alien or a little pink bunny she saw taking up space in her room.  
None of her rants ever made much sense anymore. Shemee had said she was close to break down. Humans couldn't live without all their emotions. And since Tenna never felt sadness anymore she was nearing the end of her cycle.   
He had asked how he could stop it but there was no way beyond going into her head and destroying the part of her brain that Spooky resided in or killing her and being done with it. Neither of which Todd was up to.  
He slid his books away. He was thirsty, maybe he should go for a Freezy from the 24/7. He checked his pockets for money and upon finding it started back down the stairs.  
He went as quietly as he could, which was incredibly silent. He peeked superstitiously in on Devi and Johnny.   
His eyes bugged on seeing them sitting together in the recliner. Which was a decidedly one-person piece of furniture. But Devi was quite a thing woman and Johnny was barely thicker than a stick.  
Todd crossed his fingers in hope and watched as the two leaned in to each other. Their hands searched slowly as they grew closer until they finally kis-  
"SON!"  
Todd jerked in his seat causing an unwanted line to streak across the page he was on. He blinked rapidly wondering where he was for a moment. Then his heart sank.   
He glanced down guiltily at the green notebook in front of him. It was filled with his handwriting in black ink. He sighed and closed it.  
His father opened the door glowering distastefully at his unwanted son. "You were writing again weren't you." He growled.  
"No daddy." Todd said as he discretely dropped the notebook over the edge of his desk away from his father.  
The man huffed sounding unconvinced. "Get your coat, we're going to go see your grandpa."  
Todd flinched. Grandpa Hatey, a horrible old man that thought Todd was his next meal. He glanced at his clock, it was nine o'clock at night and quite dark outside.  
"Why are we going to go see him?" He asked as he got out of his chair.   
He was about a week or so back from the asylum. They couldn't really and honestly find anything wrong with him and since they had received a whole load of experimental animals not long ago they didn't really need him. So he was back home, joy.  
"Because the old codger decided it would be nice to have us come see him on his death bed. And don't you bring that damn teddy bear." His father said stomping down the stairs.  
Todd stopped reaching for Shmee. He was too afraid of his father to really argue. He darted down to the coat closet and got his coat pulling it on quickly incase his father decided to drag him to the car again. He looked up slowly to his mother wishing desperately that she really was Devi.  
"Honey, that strange little boy is here again." She said emptily.  
His father shook his head and glared at her but didn't say anything. He did mumble about her disgusting addictions though.  
"Mom, it's me, your son." Todd said zipping up his coat.  
"No, Josh is at school." She said, her eyes were quite glazed.  
"My name's Todd mom and school let out a month ago." But it was no use.  
His mind wandered back to his story. He knew vaguely who Devi was. The Neighbor Man Johnny had told him about her. And her friend Tenna. Seemed Nny kept an eye on his one-time love interest.  
He climbed into the car and strapped himself in. It was kind of warm out, his birthday was couple months ago, he was nine now. He sighed as he remembered the package of tic-tacs he'd gotten from his parents. The best part had been when Johnny had given him a little pocketknife. It had a few hardened bloodstains on it but it had been the nicest thing anyone had given to him that day.  
His eyes wandered over the buildings built along the over pass they were coming up on. His eyes strained but he could have sworn he saw a thin dark figure darting along the street just on the other side of the concrete breakers.  
His mind flickered with a sense of déjà vu just before brilliant lights filled the car.   
"Oh Fuck!" His father screamed.  
His mother was too out of it to notice much but she cooed. "Pretty lights."  
Todd's stomach lurched as the car swerved, the inertia snapped his head to the side spraining his neck and then-  
CRASH!  
  
The End 


End file.
